Loveland News

Were Coloradans canceled, or offered a renewal of their health policy?

More than two-thirds of the 250,000 people whose health policies the state Division of Insurance said last week were "terminated" have actually been offered renewals of existing plans through 2014, according to research by U.S. Sen. Mark Udall's office.

Thousands more of those can keep policies because they were "grandfathered" under different Affordable Care Act rules, Colorado insurance companies said, complicating the raging debate over Obamacare.

Insurance companies have been sending out cancellation notices to consumers with plans that don't meet minimum benefit levels required by the health care act. President Obama on Thursday said those consumers should be able to keep their current plans through 2014, though he did not make rescinding the cancellations mandatory, or offer details.

Many of the cancellation notices, however, also contain language allowing customers to renew their existing policies.

One consumer advocacy group said that while the impact on the small number facing an absolute cancellation is real, "there's been a lot of hype and not a lot of drilling down into the facts."

"It's been a small and vocal minority, exacerbated by support from those who oppose Obamacare," said Dede de Percin, director of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, a supporter of the Affordable Care Act.

Some of those trying to sort out answers say the state Division of Insurance may have unintentionally misled consumers with its announcement that 249,299 people had their individual and group policies "terminated" for 2014.

Conservatives seized on the 250,000 figure in attacking Obamacare.

Staff for Udall, a Democrat, said the 250,000 figure gave Colorado a disproportionate share of the cancellations being discussed nationally, so they sought more details. Insurance officials in different states appear to have widely varied definitions of whether a policy has truly been canceled with no alternatives.

Anthem and Kaiser, the two largest insurers by far in the relatively small category of individual and small-group policies, said Friday they have offered nearly all such consumers renewals with similar policies through Dec. 1, 2014.

Anthem's letters offer "current plan designs" for the next year. Kaiser Permanente, which calls its actions "discontinuation," not cancellation, said those customers "also got information about how they can keep their coverage with Kaiser Permanente."

Customers renewing with any of the insurers may face standard premium hikes, as in other years. They would be ineligible for lucrative federal subsidies they might get by signing up through the Connect for Health exchange, but most could keep current benefits, deductibles and provider networks.

Colorado's insurers, like other national companies taken by surprise by Obama's move, said they are sorting out the implications. They said they are not sure yet what they will offer consumers who did not renew policies that expired earlier in 2013.

The state Division of Insurance announced the first of a series of community meetings to explain Affordable Care Act changes, on Tuesday at the Island Grove Event Center in Greeley, 6 p.m. Other meetings will be held in the metro area and throughout the state.

Consumers with individual or small-group policies who have been told their coverage is expiring may be able to renew with the same company for 2014. Customers should call their current insurance company, or the Division of Insurance at 303-894-7490 from the metro area, 800-930-3745 from outstate. Or visit dora.colorado.gov/healthinsurance

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